Irvine police are asking the public to help identify a person caught on surveillance camera allegedly stealing packages from the Cartwright Apartment complex. The department posted the appeal Friday under its recurring #FELONYFRIDAY banner, sharing camera footage of the suspect in hopes that someone recognizes them.
“We are asking for your help in identifying this person who was captured on surveillance camera allegedly stealing packages from the Cartwright Apartment complex,” the Irvine Police Department wrote in its Facebook post, which also carried the hashtag #DontCommitCrimeInIrvine. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Brian Frawley at 949-724-7441 or [email protected].
A description of the suspect published by New Santa Ana identifies the person sought as a woman with long dark hair pulled back, wearing a white jersey-style T-shirt marked with blue numerals reading “44” and light blue pants. The outlet reported that, as of its writing, no arrest had been announced and no charges had been filed in the case.
What Investigators Haven't Said
Key details remain unknown. The same report notes that investigators had not disclosed how many packages were allegedly taken or the value of the stolen property, leaving the scope of the theft unclear for now.
The Cartwright case is the latest in a string of package-theft complaints that have cropped up around Irvine. In a separate incident reported by NBC Los Angeles, two people were arrested in connection with several package thefts in the city. That report says more than $2,500 worth of items were stolen from an apartment mailroom on Miramonte, and that Anastasia Vertkova, 37, and Evgeni Vertkov, 62, were taken into custody on suspicion of grand theft.
A Pattern Across Irvine Neighborhoods
Package theft has also been a persistent complaint in Cypress Village, where residents reported a steady rise in thefts over several months, according to the same New Santa Ana report. In that neighborhood, police arrested Desmond Rowton, 53, of San Bernardino, for previous thefts after using the department's Real Time Crime Center and Drones as First Responder program to track a suspect's vehicle. Officers reportedly monitored the driver for roughly 45 minutes before making a stop.
No such tech-assisted takedown has been reported in the Cartwright case so far. For now, investigators are relying on the public to help put a name to the face on the surveillance footage, with Frawley listed as the point of contact for tips.
